Out Of The Past (Episode 11)
by Zanza8
Summary: Nick has to struggle with his personal feelings when the woodchuck who muzzled him in the Ranger Scouts shows up as the chief suspect in an arson case.
1. Chapter 1

Nick rubbed his bleary eyes. "Want to get some coffee?"

"One more cup of coffee and I'll exceed my target heart rate for the next twenty-four hours." Judy focused grimly on the road. "I thought foxes were supposed to be nocturnal."

"That is a misconception based on the fact that we can see in the dark," said Nick loftily. "Staying up late is one thing. Working all night is something else." He peered at the dashboard clock. "At four in the morning I like to be snug in my bed. I still can't believe the chief assigned us the night shift just because I gave him a speeding ticket."

Judy stopped at an empty intersection, scanned the streets, and proceeded on their patrol. "You know perfectly well it wasn't because of the speeding ticket. It was because he had Gazelle with him and you told him he should drive more carefully with such a cute passenger."

"It was worth it just to see the look on his face," the fox chuckled, momentarily invigorated by the memory.

"Keep that in mind for the rest of the month," snapped the bunny. "That's how long before we're back on days."

Nick's retort was cut short by a deafening blast of sound accompanied by a gush of flame to his right. He flinched, reaching for the radio as Judy slammed on the brakes. "Dispatch, this is Car 51. All available units to Kopje Court. Explosion and fire."

The radio crackled. "Any victims?"

"We're investigating now." The fox signed off and got out of the car, wincing at the heat. Judy joined him and they proceeded cautiously, stopping every few feet to scan with their flashlights.

Sirens began to play in the distance and Judy said with relief, "It doesn't look like anyone was here."

Nick snapped off his flashlight as the first firetrucks arrived. "I'll let dispatch know." He started for the police car and was almost bowled over by a big woodchuck running up to the fire. "Hey, take it easy!"

The woodchuck was shouting incoherently and Judy took him by the arm. "Sir, you need to calm down."

Nick grabbed the other arm and they walked him over to their car, where he slid to the ground and put his head in his paws. "I've only been gone an hour," he moaned. "What could have happened?"

Judy bent down. "You were here an hour ago?" There was no response. "Sir?"

Nick said sharply, "Come on, snap out of it. Tell us what you know."

"What I know?" Glassy eyes stared at the firefighters working on the blaze. "I don't know anything. I just work here."

"What's your name?" Nick's voice was insistent.

"Billy. Billy Wilson."

The fox took a step back, visibly shaken. Judy waited for him to ask another question, then took over herself. "Mr Wilson, what do you do here?"

Wilson took a deep breath. "I'm...I was...the foreman on this project. I got a call from the owner…"

"What's the owner's name?"

"Adam Wuchak. This was a really big project, a whole office complex, and he called me…I thought it was strange to want to meet at three in the morning but I'm living on site in a trailer…" The woodchuck gestured vaguely at the firefighters dragging hoses through the rubble. "It must be buried under there somewhere. If Mr Wuchak hadn't wanted to see me, I'd be there too." He smiled wanly. "Guess I got lucky."

Judy smiled back. "I guess you did. We're going to need a full statement, Mr Wilson. Can you come with us to the police station?"

The woodchuck got shakily to his feet. "All right." He was on Nick's side of the car but the fox made no move to open the door for him and after a moment Judy opened the back door on her side, motioning him in and then getting behind the wheel.

"Nick!" The bunny called to the fox, standing in the street, and for a moment she wondered if he heard her, then he got in the car without a word, looking fixedly out the window as they left the scene of the fire.


	2. Chapter 2

"All right, Mr Wilson, you just wait right here while I get a stenographer to take your statement." Judy showed the woodchuck into an interview room and pulled out a chair. "Can I get you anything? Some coffee, or something to eat?" Wilson shook his head and the bunny smiled reassuringly. "I'll be as quick as I can." She left the room, closing the door and giving Nick a searching look. The fox had waited in the hall and now she asked quietly, "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing," he murmured. "Everything's just great."

"Nick." Judy put her little velvet paw on his arm. "You've been out of it ever since you heard Mr Wilson's name." She felt him shudder and her voice turned stern. "If something's wrong, you need to tell me. I don't want to handle this case by myself."

"I don't want to handle it at all." Nick's voice was almost inaudible.

Judy frowned. Her first instinct was to demand answers but all she said was, "We can hand the case off but you know department policy. We caught it, we're the lead for investigating it. Chief Bogo will want to know why we don't want it."

The fox had been staring at the floor and now he raised his head, gazing at his partner with haunted eyes. "You know about my problem with muzzles?" The bunny nodded and Nick said with difficulty, "Billy Wilson is the one who gave it to me."

He went back to staring at the floor while Judy thought of the gondola in the rainforest and Nick's story of how he had tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. He had told it slowly, with so many pauses the night passed and the sun was coming up when he finally finished. Nick had talked of his dream of joining a pack, his pride in the uniform his mother somehow managed to buy for him, his excitement at going to his first meeting. He choked up when he spoke of the shock at discovering he wasn't wanted, was in fact hated so much he was beaten and muzzled like a dangerous wild animal and thrown out in the street. That night he determined never to let anyone get to him again, and for years no one had. He opened up to Judy because he came to see her as a friend and then she betrayed him at the press conference, confirming his belief that no one would ever see him as anything but shifty and untrustworthy. That Nick could forgive her after she announced to the city that predators were going savage because of their biology was still a miracle to Judy and her eyes filled with tears as she thought of finding him months later with her carrot pen still in his pocket. "Nick, I'll go to Chief Bogo and tell him...well, I'll think of something to tell him. Let's just go home and forget this case ever happened."

He looked up, smiling a little. "You'd do that?"

Judy smiled back. "In a minute."

The fox shook his head. "This thing has been hanging over me my whole life. Maybe instead of running away from it, I should just walk in there and give old Billy a piece of my mind."

"Maybe you should." The bunny pulled the door open and after a long moment, Nick went into the interview room.

Wilson jumped to his feet as the two police officers came in. "I need to call Mr Wuchak. He was expecting me and now…"

"Sit down." Nick's voice was calm but forceful and the woodchuck blinked and dropped back into his chair. "Before we get into what happened tonight, I think we should clear the air." The fox leaned against the table with an unpleasant expression. "I doubt you remember me…"

"I remember you, Nick," said Wilson softly. "I read all about you when you helped break the Night Howler's case. It just made it so much worse after the Junior Ranger Scouts…"

Nick's paws clenched into fists and Judy took a step forward, then he relaxed. "I imagine it must have been pretty bad for you, a fox helping to save the city. Must have been one of the worst days of your life."

"You've got it all wrong." The woodchuck shook his head. "I felt bad enough before about how I treated you. What you did for the city just made me feel worse. I've wanted to find you and apologize for years. I should have come to you after you were in all the papers but I just couldn't bring myself to face you."

Nick frowned. "You expect me to believe you're sorry for what you did?" He leaned forward, both paws on the table, his teeth inches from Wilson's face. The woodchuck gazed steadily back and after a moment, Nick pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Let's hear it, then." The fox leaned back, folding his arms. "This should be good."

Wilson paused to gather his thoughts. "You remember how our scoutmaster was a wolf? Peter Mactire?"

"How could I forget?" Nick's voice was disgusted. "He's the one who recruited me. I thought a troop with a wolf for a scoutmaster wouldn't have a problem with a fox. I thought I would fit right in."

"If it was up to Mr Mactire you would have." Wilson sighed. "We didn't have a problem with predators. Some of us kids just didn't want a fox in the troop. So I called you up and told you the meeting had been changed from 6:30 to 5:30 and when you showed up…" He fell silent.

"Don't stop there," said Nick bitterly. "Don't you want to talk about the muzzle?"

Wilson swallowed hard. "Mr Mactire found it outside when he came to the meeting, and he didn't say anything about it, he just mentioned he was surprised you hadn't come, but we could never put anything over on him. He noticed me and the other kids acting weird when he wondered where you were and the next meeting when you still weren't there, he called us over and showed us the muzzle and asked about it." The woodchuck twisted his paws together. "We tried to lie about it but he wasn't buying it. He got the whole story out of us and...and he called our parents in for a conference…"

Judy thought of how appalled Gideon Grey's parents had been when her father confronted them about him slashing her face. "What did your parents do?"

Wilson's eyes were filled with shame. "At first they couldn't believe it. Troop 914 was a _nice_ pack." Nick snorted and the woodchuck said earnestly, "We were, Nick. We really tried to live up to the Junior Rangers' oath of being brave and loyal and helpful and trustworthy. It meant a lot to us." He sighed. "Mr Mactire explained, and our parents agreed, that the only way to live up to the oath was to accept anyone who wanted to join the pack, even a fox. He tried calling your mom. He wanted to apologize and make it right, invite you back to the troop, but the phone was disconnected."

Nick took a turn around the room and stopped by the door. "My mother was killed by a drunk driver two weeks after that meeting. When your scoutmaster called, I was probably already in the system."

Wilson hung his head. "I'm sorry, Nick. I really am. Did they catch the animal who did it?"

The fox laughed mirthlessly. "They didn't have to. After he ran my mother over, he wrapped himself around a telephone pole. All nice and neat, no loose ends, except for a kid nobody wanted, so after I got sent to an orphanage, that was that." He came back to the table. "I guess that was that for your troop, too."

"Not hardly." Wilson sat up straighter. "You know how the Junior Ranger Scouts do community service and projects?" Nick nodded and the woodchuck sighed. "We always had plenty of free time after we got done with our requirements and projects but our parents arranged more projects for us. We didn't have a minute to ourselves, they set up so many projects for us to pay for what we did and that was on our own time and we didn't get any credit for it with the troop."

"Must have been a rough week," said Nick sarcastically.

"Try a year and a half." Wilson smiled for the first time at the surprised look on the fox's face. "We even built a little park in Fox Alley."

"I need some air." Nick went out the door.

Judy started to follow her partner, then stopped and said quickly, "Mr Wilson, we do still need to get your statement. Do you mind waiting?"

"No." The woodchuck slumped in his chair. "Take as long as you want."


	3. Chapter 3

Nick leaned against the wall, then slumped to the floor, his emotions so raw that when Judy came out and sat next to him, his first impulse was to jump up and run away from her. She rested her head on his shoulder, waiting in silence, and gradually her quiet support brought some peace to his aching heart. "Hell of a night, Carrots."

The bunny said softly, "I'm so sorry about your mother, Nick."

He leaned his head against hers. "Me too."

They sat together for a long moment until finally the fox got to his feet and took Judy's paw to pull her up. "I'd like to go home and forget this case ever happened but I'm going to do my job." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to go back in there and take Wilson's statement and then we'll work this case just like any other case."

Judy smiled impishly. "Did I ever tell you I'm proud of you?"

Nick raised his eyebrows. "No."

"Then I'll save it for a special occasion." The bunny squeezed his paw. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. You go find a stenographer and I'll get some coffee."

Billy Wilson was staring at the table when the police officers returned, a rabbit stenographer in tow. Nick had four cups of coffee and a little bag of sugar cubes and creamers and he set it all out on the table with elaborate care before addressing the woodchuck. "All right, Mr Wilson, I want you to meet Jack Coinin. He'll be taking your statement. Just start at the top and tell us everything you remember. Even if it seems unimportant or irrelevant, if you think of it, I want you to put it on the record. Okay?"

Wilson relaxed under Nick's matter-of-fact tone and wisely refrained from any more references to the past. "Okay, Ni...Officer Wilde." He put a lot of sugar and one creamer in a cup of coffee and took a long swig. "I was the foreman for the office complex going up at Kopje Court and I've been living in a trailer at the site. And tonight I got a call from Mr Wuchak to meet him about some things he wanted to discuss."

"At three in the morning." Nick's voice was neutral.

"Yeah." Wilson frowned. "It was strange, but he does keep strange hours. It's not the first time he's called in the middle of the night, just the first time he wanted to get together with me. So I went, but he never showed up at the diner. I waited half an hour and then I went back to the site and…" The woodchuck faltered. "I can't believe what happened."

"Why were you living at the site? Isn't that unusual?" asked Nick.

"Is it important?"

"I don't know," said the fox. "That's why I asked. I repeat, why were you in a trailer at the site instead of your home?"

Wilson's voice became very quiet. "My wife threw me out."

"What diner did you go to?" asked Judy.

"The Tip Top. It's a nice little place just down the street."

"Yes, Officer Wilde and I often go there." The bunny thought for a moment. "Do you keep explosives on site?"

"Sure. They're locked up, though, no way they could go off by accident." Wilson leaned forward. "Are you saying it was an explosion? Not just a fire?"

"We saw it happen." Nick took a sip of coffee. "It was an explosion all right. And if it couldn't happen by accident, someone had to have set it off deliberately."

"Well, it wasn't me!" Wilson was sweating now. "If Mr Wuchak hadn't called me, I would have been buried under the rubble. Doesn't that prove I didn't do anything wrong?"

There was a tap at the door and a rhino cop stuck his head in the room. "I got a woodchuck named Adam Wuchak out front. Says he needs to talk to the officer in charge of his building."

"All right," said Nick. "Mr Wilson, just keep talking so we get everything down while it's still fresh in your memory."

He went out with Judy to find Adam Wuchak, a self-important woodchuck in an impeccably tailored suit, waiting at the front desk. The leopard on duty smiled as the bunny and the fox came up. "Here they are, Mr Wuchak. Officers Wilde and Hopps will be able to answer all your questions."

"That's a bit optimistic." Judy smiled back. "We've only begun the investigation, Mr Wuchak. We're interviewing your foreman, Billy Wilson, but the only information he's given us so far is that he wasn't present when the building blew up because he was going to meet you."

Wuchak raised his eyebrows. "Meet me? I thought the building caught fire in the middle of the night."

"It did." Nick said carefully, "Mr Wilson claims you called him, asked him to meet you at the Tip Top diner."

"In the middle of the night?" The woodchuck snorted. "I was sound asleep until your officers called me. If Wilson is lying about his whereabouts when the explosion happened, he must be the one responsible for it. Sounds like you have a nice neat case with no loose ends."

Nick stiffened and Judy said hastily, "There's always a few loose ends to tie up, Mr Wuchak. We'll be in touch. Do you have a business card?"

Wuchak handed a card over and bustled off and Nick watched him go until he was out of sight. "Nice and neat with no loose ends. Just like when that drunk killed my mother on the way to killing himself."

Judy asked softly, "You think he's lying?"

"I think I want to find out, one way or the other. Show I'm an honest cop, not a shifty untrustworthy fox."

The bunny said strongly, "You don't have anything to prove, to Billy Wilson or anyone else."

"Maybe I do." Nick's face was troubled. "After the Junior Ranger Scouts, I gave up on myself and I just went bad. How good could I have been to begin with, to react like that?"

"Look at me." Judy took Nick's paws, her soft purple eyes locking onto his sharp green ones. "Whatever happened in the past, you're a good cop now. And the best friend I could ever have. You want to work this case, I'll back you up all the way. Not because I think you need to figure anything out about yourself. You don't. I'll be there for you because you're worth it. Worth it all. Worth more. Got it?"

"Got it." A tiny spark lit the fox's eyes. "I don't suppose you'd like to pay for breakfast, seeing how I need cheering up?"

"Not a chance. It's your turn to pay." Judy pushed Nick in the direction of the interrogation room. "Now let's get in there and finish taking Mr Wilson's statement, and if you do a really good job, I _might_ consent to going to the juice bar for blueberry pudding even though it's not a breakfast food."


	4. Chapter 4

"Here you go, Nick." Wally Weaver, the ZPD's best technician, dropped a folder on the fox's desk.

Nick looked through the report, then up at the beaver. "You checked everything?"

Judy frowned and took the report as Weaver shrugged. "All I could find was a call that was placed to Wilson's cell phone at three in the morning. The phone was located at the trailer on the construction site, but whoever placed the call must have used a burner phone. If you have a suspect I can check their phones but you know how this is going to go."

"I know. Thanks, Wally."

The beaver left and Nick leaned back in his chair. "What do you think?"

Judy hesitated, then said firmly, "It sounds to me like Wilson is being set up."

The fox sighed. "It sounds that way to me too. If he's telling the truth. We only have his word that the phone call is what got him off the site before the explosion."

Judy handed the report back to Nick. "Well, he could have had somebody call to set up an alibi but are we really supposed to believe he was smart enough to think that far ahead and stupid enough to let himself be the only suspect?"

"No, but we'll never find the burner. Whoever used it threw it away right after they made the call." Nick stood up and stretched. "I'm too tired to think straight. I'm going home unless you have any ideas."

"I'd like to know why Billy Wilson was living in a trailer on the construction site instead of his home. And I'd like to interview Adam Wuchak." Judy yawned. "Right after I get some sleep."

Clawhauser poked his head into their cubicle. "Chief Bogo wants to see you both right away."

Nick groaned. "Can't it wait? We're exhausted."

Judy gave her partner a look. "We'll be right there." Clawhauser nodded and left and the bunny huffed in annoyance. "Honestly, Nick, you're going to have us on night duty for the rest of our lives! If the chief wants to see us, we have to go. You know that."

The fox held up a paw. "Okay, okay. Just don't blame me if I say something stupid."

"I doubt the chief will even notice if you do," snapped the bunny.

They trudged over to Bogo's office. His door was open, and at his gruff order they went in and climbed onto a chair in front of his desk, leaning on each other out of sheer weariness.

The cape buffalo narrowed his eyes. "If I can trouble you to stay awake, I'd like a report on the explosion at Kopje Court."

Judy sat up straighter. "There's not much to report, sir. We have a statement from Billy Wilson, the foreman at the construction site. He claims to have received a phone call at 3:00 am from the owner of the building, Adam Wuchak, asking him to meet at the Tip Top Diner. The explosion occurred while he was away from the site but Mr Wuchak says he didn't make the call."

"Was a call actually made?" asked Bogo.

"Weaver says there was." Nick bit back a yawn as the chief glared at him. "Sorry, sir. Wilson did get called on his cell phone and the phone was located at Kopje Court, but as to who made the call…" The fox shrugged. "It's possible the call was made to set up Wilson to take the blame for the explosion but if that's the case, it'll be a burner phone and it's probably been destroyed."

Bogo frowned. "Do you have any leads?"

"Billy Wilson was living in a trailer at the construction site," said Judy. "Whether or not that's related to the explosion, I think it's an area worth exploring. So is Adam Wuchak's background. He owns the site, he had to have insurance to get building permits. Maybe it was worth more to wreck the project than finish it."

Bogo tapped his desk thoughtfully. "I'm taking you both off night duty…" Nick and Judy perked up and the cape buffalo glared. "Until you clear this case." The fox and the bunny slumped and the chief softened his tone. "You can take the rest of the day off, but I want you to get started bright and early tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

Phyllis Wilson sighed as she poured a cup of tea. "I really don't know anything about what's going on with Billy these days, Officer Wilde." She took a sip of tea, her eyes wide and guileless. "He moved out almost a month ago."

"Why?" Judy leaned forward, her notepad out.

Phyllis studied the fox and the bunny, side by side on a small sofa. "Are you married, Officer Hopps?" Judy shook her head and the woodchuck smiled a little. "Males can be so difficult. No offense, Officer Wilde."

"None taken," said Nick, smiling back. It was a most unpleasant smile and Judy kicked him in the ankle. The fox winced, then said dryly, "No doubt you were relieved that your husband was not harmed in the explosion."

"Oh, of course!" The woodchuck pressed a paw to her heart and shuddered delicately. "When I think of what might have happened to him…"

"Getting back to that, can you please tell us why he moved out?" Judy held her carrot pen over her notepad.

"It's complicated." Phyllis put her teacup down. "Are you sure I can't offer you anything?"

"Just answers to our question," said the bunny firmly.

The woodchuck hesitated. "Well, Billy and I just weren't getting along. Not at all. We've been married for ten years and he just...he wasn't who I thought he was." The two police officers just looked at her and after a moment she continued. "I thought Billy was more ambitious. He promised me the world and all I got was this."

Nick and Judy exchanged a glance. Phyllis Wilson's roomy apartment was on the top floor of a building in the best section of Savanna Central, with expensive furniture, brand-new appliances, and a panoramic view of the city. The woodchuck herself was dressed in an elegant silk housecoat and a large diamond pendant on a gold chain.

"It must be really tough being on your own like this," said the fox.

Phyllis peered suspiciously at Nick but he maintained an innocent expression. "I'm getting used to it." She stood up. "Could you excuse me? I have an appointment…"

"Of course!" Nick stood up as well and took out a card. "Please call us if you think of anything."

The woodchuck took the card with the tips of her beautifully manicured claws and dropped it on the coffee table. "I'll do that. Thank you so much for coming to see me."

Out in the hallway, Nick shook his head. "I can't believe I feel sorry for Billy Wilson. He gets her that fancy apartment and she still kicks him out."

"And she said he moved out, but I'm having a hard time believing he's the one paying for that apartment." Judy went over to the elevator and pressed the button. "He's a construction foreman. You really think he has that kind of money? The rent alone is probably more than he makes, then there's the furniture, her jewelry, and did you see her claws? She probably spends more getting them done then I take home in a week."

They rode the elevator down and started out of the building past the door animal, a skinny coyote in a bright red coat. Nick stopped, eyeing him thoughtfully. "Do you know Mrs Phyllis Wilson?"

"She's only been here a month but I know her," said the coyote disdainfully.

"You don't say!" The fox grinned. "I thought she'd lived here a while."

"Trust me, I know exactly when she moved in. I had to help carry a lot of her stuff in and she doesn't tip. At least her boyfriend's a good tipper."

"Her boyfriend, huh?" Nick raised his eyebrows. "What kind of animal is he?"

"Another woodchuck. Real smooth, fancy clothes…"

"Not blue collar?"

The coyote chuckled. "No way. He's some kind of business animal. Trust me, I've been on this door a long time, I know a big operator when I see one."

"What's your name?"

"Steve."

"How'd you like to earn twenty bucks?"

Steve hesitated. "It's not illegal, is it?"

The fox bristled. "Sir, I am an officer of the law. I would never ask you to do something illegal." He handed over his card. "Give me a call next time Mrs Wilson's boyfriend is visiting."

The coyote took the card. "You got it." He turned away to open the door for a matronly hippo with two small children and Nick gestured to Judy, walking away with a satisfied smile.

"You want to tell me what that's about?" asked the bunny.

"I have a hunch." Nick grinned. "Let's see how it plays out."


	6. Chapter 6

Back at the ZPD, Nick and Judy found their cubicle crowded with boxes overflowing with file folders. The bunny picked up a folder, leafed through it, then dropped it on her desk. "It's the records we subpoenaed for Adam Wuchak."

Nick poked at a box. "Looks like he sent everything."

"It looks like he sent more than everything." Judy opened another folder. "Lunch receipts, validated parking tickets...it's going to take forever to sift through all this."

The fox smiled. "You know what this means."

"I know." The bunny smiled back. "There's something he doesn't want us to see and he's hoping we won't be able to find it in all this paper." She hesitated. "We could try a shortcut." Nick raised his eyebrows and Judy said hurriedly, "Billy Wilson might be able to help. He worked on the project at Kopje Court, he might know if there was something wrong with it."

Nick grimaced. "Maybe." He gazed at the stacks of boxes, then sighed and took out his phone. "Mr Wilson? Yeah, Officer Wilde. Look, we have some paperwork from your boss relating to Kopje Court and we could use some help going through it." The fox listened for a moment, then hung up and turned to Judy. "He's on his way."

She started to speak, then opened the folder on her desk and started reading while Nick rooted through the box he had looked at earlier, both of them so hard at work they didn't notice when Clawhauser showed up at their cubicle with Billy Wilson until the woodchuck diffidently cleared his throat.

Nick looked up, his eyes hard, but all he said was, "Thank you for coming, Mr Wilson. Pick a box and get started."

Clawhauser left with a wave and Wilson came into the cubicle and sat down on the floor, opening a box and pulling out a folder. For a few minutes he read through the contents, then he dropped it and stood up. "This is a waste of time."

"I'm sorry," said Nick. "Police work often does seem dull and pointless, it's not nearly as exciting as it is in the movies."

Wilson shook his head. "It's not that." He waved a paw at the boxes. "Mr Wuchak kept meticulous records, except when he didn't want to."

Judy frowned. "Just what does that mean?"

"I was the foreman at Kopje Court, remember?" Wilson leaned against the bunny's desk. "At first, I had access to all the paperwork, the blueprints, the subcontractors, everything. Then a few weeks ago Mr Wuchak got kind of secretive. He was buying materials from suppliers I didn't know and having them delivered on days I was off. I admit I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have." His face was a study in misery. "That was about the time Phyllis threw me out."

Nick and Judy exchanged a look, then the bunny said with elaborate casualness, "It must have been especially hard to go from that beautiful apartment to living in a trailer on a construction site."

"Beautiful apartment?" Wilson looked startled. "It was a nice enough little place but you know how hot it gets in Sahara Square and I couldn't afford air conditioning. I was saving up to buy a house but then Phyllis…"

"About when was this, Mr Wilson?" asked Judy.

"A little over a month. Maybe six weeks."

"And you haven't been back to the apartment since?"

Wilson shook his head. "Phyllis sent me my stuff. And Mr Wuchak, he was nice enough to let me have the trailer at the site. We use it as an office but there's a bunk and a little bathroom and a hot plate. At least I didn't have to find the money for a hotel."

"What a great boss," said Nick dryly. His phone rang and he listened for a moment. "Sure, Steve, I'll be right over. Twenty bucks, just like I said." He hung up and regarded Billy Wilson. "How would you like to go for a ride?"


	7. Chapter 7

Billy Wilson gazed up at the apartment building in Savannah Central, then turned to Nick. "I don't understand."

The fox said patiently, "What don't you understand? Your wife lives on the top floor of that apartment building."

"But…" The woodchuck fell silent.

"But there's no way she could afford a place like that, right?" asked Nick. "You're not paying for it either." He waved at the door animal and the coyote waved back. "Your wife has a boyfriend. Steve over there called me when her boyfriend showed up and he's going to point him out when he comes down." The fox hesitated, then said quietly, "I have a feeling we might clear up a couple of points when we see who it is."

Judy looked curiously at Nick but he shook his head and they got into the unmarked police car and settled down to wait. For about an hour there was no conversation, then Wilson leaned forward from the back seat. "Is this another one of those dull and pointless police things?"

"You got it," said Nick with an odd blend of cheerfulness and malice.

Judy gave her partner a look, then turned to the back seat. "Mr Wilson, you don't really have to wait with us. This must be very upsetting for you."

"It is," said the woodchuck slowly, "but I want to know who Phyllis is seeing. Maybe…" He sat back with a sigh. "Maybe it isn't that serious."

"That apartment looked very serious to me," said Nick.

Judy glared at her partner but the fox was looking out the window. "Here we go," he said, nodding at the apartment building. The coyote Steve was holding the door open with one paw and pointing at the animal coming hrough with the other. It was a portly woodchuck with an impeccably tailored suit and a very satisfied expression. Nick whistled softly. "Recognize him, Mr Wilson?"

"It's Mr Wuchak." For a moment, Billy Wilson stared blankly at his boss, then he bared his teeth and started to open his door.

Nick dove over the seat and there was a brief, savage scuffle before the fox pinned the woodchuck down. "You want me to cuff you?"

Wilson shuddered. "You knew it was Mr Wuchak, didn't you?"

"When you said your wife threw you out around the time your boss starting acting strange, I wondered about it." Nick loosened his grip. "You can sit up, but don't let him see you."

The woodchuck rubbed his face with his paws. "I don't believe this. I thought Mr Wuchak was my friend." His voice broke. "And Phyllis said she just needed some space."

Judy reached over and patted Wilson on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mr Wilson."

"What happens now?" he asked dully.

Nick climbed back into the front seat. "Now we follow him and see what he's up to." Wuchak was hailing a cab. "I would have thought an animal like that would have a car of his own."

"He does." Billy Wilson sounded puzzled. "A luxury four-door with a driver. And if he wanted a cab, why didn't he have the door animal call one for him?"

"Let's see if we can find out," said Judy, her light tone belied by her determined expression as she maneuvered through traffic three cars behind the cab.

It was getting dark when Adam Wuchak stopped his cab and got out, waiting until it turned a corner before starting up the street. Judy and Nick exchanged a look and the fox turned to speak to Billy Wilson. "Any reason you can think of why your boss would be going to Kopje Court?"

Wilson shrugged. "I called him today before I went to the ZPD." Nick rolled his eyes and the woodchuck said defensively, "All you told me was you had some paperwork of his to go through. You didn't say not to talk to him about it."

"I would have thought that was a given," said the fox, clearly holding onto his temper.

"Nick, stop," snapped Judy. "It's done now, there's no point belaboring it." She parked the car. "What about it, Mr Wilson? Do you think there's something at Kopje Court Mr Wuchak doesn't want us to find?"

"I don't think so." The woodchuck thought for a moment. "There may be some records in my trailer but it's still buried under the rubble. No one should be going anywhere near it until it's been cleared, it's very unsafe with all that loose debris and damaged scaffolding."

"We're not going to find out anything sitting around here." Nick picked up the microphone. "I'm going to call for a squad car to take you home, Mr Wilson."

"Forget it." The woodchuck stared defiantly at the fox. "It's _my_ wife and _my_ boss and _my_ life. I'm going with you." Judy started to speak and Wilson cut her off. "I have a right to see for myself."

"Fine!" Nick threw up his paws, then opened his door. "We don't have time to argue about it. Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Adam Wuchak reached the wrecked construction site at Kopje Court, glanced around casually, then ducked under the police tape and disappeared into the ruins, followed cautiously by Nick and Judy with Wilson bringing up the rear.

"I don't see him," whispered Judy.

"I do," Nick whispered back. "He's about a hundred feet ahead of us."

Wilson moved up next to the fox. "What's he doing?"

"He's got something in his paws." The fox peered into the darkness, then stiffened. "It looks like dynamite!" He shouted, "Police! Drop that and put your paws up!"

The bunny turned on her flashlight and caught Wuchak running, then he was climbing a half-burned scaffold up and out of sight. She took off after him with Nick, the fox snapping over his shoulder, "Go back to the car and stay there, Wilson!" He took the lead of Judy as she called in a request for backup on her cellphone, then both fox and bunny were racing towards the scaffold, climbing after Wuchak. He disregarded their orders to stop, going higher in his desperation to get away from them, then found himself cornered at the top of the scaffold.

It was only when they reached the top themselves that Nick and Judy realized the danger of their position. The fabric of the scaffold was composed of narrow beams with uncertain footing made worse by a greasy coating of soot and as the adrenaline drained away, both fox and bunny came to an uncomfortable awareness of how far down the ground was and how easy it would be to slip and fall.

Swallowing hard, Nick raised a paw. "Mr Wuchak, you'll have to come with us now."

Wuchak glanced around and Judy said firmly, "Mr Wuchak, there's really no place to go. Please don't make things worse for yourself."

The woodchuck put up his arms. "All right. All right!" He took a step away from the edge.

Judy took out her cuffs and went up to him. "I'd rather not put these on you until we get back on solid ground…"

She was cut short as Wuchak grabbed her and spun her around to face Nick. "All right, cop, if you don't want your partner on the ground right now, you'll get out of my way."

The fox spread his paws and backed up. "Whatever you say."

Wuchak grinned and took a step forward, then gasped as Judy stamped down hard on his foot. She broke free and dropped as Nick tackled him, knocking him flat. The fox and woodchuck tore at each other, then Nick got in a hard uppercut on Wuchak's chin and knocked him out. Panting, he cuffed Wuchack's paws behind his back. "You okay, Carrots?"

The bunny's voice floated up into the night. "Nick! Help!"

He threw himself flat and peered over the edge of the scaffold and his heart stopped. During the struggle with Wuchak, Judy had been knocked off and now she clung to a beam with both paws, staring up at him. "I can't climb back," she called calmly. "The beam is slipping."

"Don't you dare fall!" he shouted at her, his voice harsh with terror. "I'll get you." He started to lower himself and was brought up short by a strong paw on his arm. It was Billy Wilson.

"You try climbing down there and you'll both die," said the woodchuck. "The only way is with a rope." He actually smiled, hefting a coil. "Luckily there was still some laying around."

Nick grabbed the rope and called down to Judy, "I'm going to toss you a line. Get ready to grab it."

"I can't." There was a grating sound as the beam she clung to shifted. "This beam is about to go. I have to hold still."

"She's right," said Wilson urgently. He took the rope back from Nick and held out one end. "Tie this around your waist and I'll lower you to where you can grab her."

The fox stared at the woodchuck, overcome at the enormity of the suggestion. "You expect me to trust you with my _life_?" Wilson stared back and Nick ground his teeth, then tied the rope around his waist. "Ready when you are." He went over the edge, the woodchuck holding the rope firmly and paying it out slowly until the fox called, "All right, that's far enough!"

Nick dangled at the end of the rope right next to Judy. Her eyes were enormous in her small face but her nose was rock steady and he had to smile. "You ready to go?"

She smiled back. "I'm just waiting for you."

The fox reached out and the bunny caught his paw, then she was locked in his arms. "Pull us up!" he called. For a long moment they just hung there. Wilson wasn't pulling them up and Nick clutched Judy tighter, sick at heart for trusting the woodchuck, then they were moving up.

Wilson pulled them back onto the scaffolding. "Sorry. The two of you together weighed a little more than I expected and I had to set myself better before I could get you back."

Nick got to his feet still holding Judy, and he hugged her before setting her down and turning to Wilson. "That's okay, Billy. You're pretty trustworthy, for a woodchuck."

"Thanks, Nick." Billy smiled. "You're all right, for a fox."


	9. Chapter 9

Nick stretched luxuriously, sipping at an ice-cold lemonade as the children of the Thorneycroft Orphan's Home bounced around him. He had just finished telling Sister Margaret about Billy Wilson pulling him and Judy to safety and the badger smiled gently at him. "So he really is a changed animal?"

Nick nodded at the curb. "See for yourself."

The woodchuck had pulled up in a van and was scolding mildly as the members of Junior Ranger Scouts Troop 914 jumped out and started mingling with the orphans. Nick waved him over and he joined them just as Judy came out of the house with a tray of sandwiches.

Billy took a sandwich and sat on the grass across from Nick, smiling brightly. "So this is where you grew up?"

"Not exactly." Nick finished his lemonade and picked up a sandwich. "It's more like where I hung my hat for a few years."

"And we're still waiting for him to grow up," said Judy with a bland expression.

Sister Margaret shook her head at Judy, then said warmly, "Mr Wilson, I want to thank you for saving Nicholas and Judith. They mean a great deal, to me and to all these children."

The woodchuck ducked his head in embarrassment. "That's all right. I'm just glad I was there to help."

"Even though you were supposed to wait in the car?" Nick's eyes twinkled.

Billy laughed. "Even though." He turned his attention back to the badger. "I hope some of your children will want to join the troop. I'm always looking for new recruits. All species are welcome. And if I get some new kids it'll help take my mind off...well, everything that's happened."

"What is going to happen now?" asked the elderly badger.

"Well, we've got Wuchak on a laundry list of crimes. Arson, attempted murder of a police officer, insurance fraud…" Nick finished his sandwich and took another one. "He's going away for a long time."

"So is Phyllis," said Billy sadly. "She was stepping out with Mr Wuchak behind my back, and when his expenses got away from him at Kopje Court, they figured they'd kill two animals with one stone. Not that they actually had the guts to really kill me, but they planned to frame me for the project being destroyed and that would give them a nice insurance payoff and get me out of the way so they could be together." He shook his head. "I still can't believe it."

"What was Mr Wuchak doing at the construction site that night?" asked Sister Margaret.

Billy finished his sandwich, contemplated the tray, and sat back without reaching for more food. "Well, once he decided to destroy the site, he started using substandard materials. The invoices for those materials are in the files he sent to the ZPD, but I had several months worth of invoices in my trailer and he knew the suppliers on those invoices weren't going to match the suppliers on what the cops had."

Judy took up the story. "Naturally with Billy as the only suspect, we had workmen digging out his trailer. Wuchak was keeping tabs on that and when it was uncovered enough to get into, he went out to the site to drop a stick of dynamite on it and destroy the records." She shook her head. "And then he panicked when we showed up and instead of just running, he went up on the scaffolding."

A tiger cub came running up. "Sister Margaret, do you think I could join the Junior Ranger Scouts?"

The badger hesitated and Billy said quickly, "We'd love to have you. Every new recruit gets a uniform and a handbook, but you have to pay all your dues yourself." The cub's eager expression faded and the woodchuck smiled. "All the kids pay their dues themselves. We have fundraisers all the time and they're a lot of fun. What do you think, Sister?"

The badger got up and took the cub's paw. "I think we should see if anyone else would like to join since Mr Wilson's troop has such a generous policy."

"Please, call me Billy."

The woodchuck and the badger walked off with the cub and Nick chuckled. "I wonder if Billy has ever been called William."

"He'll get used to it." Judy poured herself some lemonade. "I got used to being called Judith even though the only person who ever called me that was my grandmother." She giggled. "She was always telling me to wash my paws and every time Sister Margaret says Judith, I have this urge to check my claws."

Nick laughed. "With me it's my ears. I always have the feeling I haven't cleaned behind my ears."

"So are you all right now?" asked the bunny softly.

The fox gazed pensively at Billy fielding questions from the children while Sister Margaret tried to keep some kind of order. "I guess it depends what you mean by 'all right.' Billy wrecked my life when I was a kid and nothing will ever change that. But he helped me save your life, and that's all that matters now."

"Hey, Nick!" Billy was waving and the fox went over to him. "I have something for you." The woodchuck pulled a small metal case out of his pocket and presented it to the fox.

Nick opened it. "A compass?"

"It was Mr Mactire's. He left it to me when he died. He said it was the very first piece of scouting equipment he ever owned and he always carried it. Said it was important to have something that always pointed you in the right direction."

The fox snapped the case closed and tried to hand it back. "I can't take this. He left it to you."

"Nope, I think he would want you to have it." The woodchuck smiled, but his eyes were very serious. "Thanks to you, I know what the right direction is now. And who knows, maybe you'd like to come back to the troop. I could always use an assistant scoutmaster."

"You mean that?" The fox blinked in surprise.

"Sure I do. I can't think of anybody who's braver or more loyal or helpful or trustworthy than you." Billy stuck out his paw and after a moment Nick took it, and they shook.


End file.
